Apparatus for removing oil from metal



Jan.14,.193o. .0. L MMG ET-AL y y 1,743,465

APPARTUS FOR REMOVING OIL FROM METAL Filed Aug. 15. 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT omer.-

OSCAR L. MAAG AND CLIFFORD M. MARATTA,l OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE- TIMKEN ROLLER BEARING COMPANY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION F OHIO APPARATUS FOR REMOVING- OIL' FROM METAL Application led August 13, 1925. Serial No. 50,056.

Our invention relates to machines for removing oil from metal pieces, such as the shavings, chips and cuttings resulting from the operation of lathes, automatic screw machines and the like. As is well known, oil is frequently applied in large quantities to the work andl to the tools of lathes, automatic screw machines and the like and the large quantities of chips, shavings and cuttings resulting from the use of such machines are covered with oil and oil is trapped between particles thereof. If such oil can be removed from the metal, the oil can be used over and over again, thus reducing the expense of operating the machines. The metal is used in the manufacture of steel, such steel frequently being manufactured in electric furnaces. If the oil is not removed from the metal pieces before they are placed in an electric furnace, the oil has a deleterious effect, causing the steel to contain excessive amounts of carbon. Accordingly, numerous processes and machines have been devised to remove the oil from such metal pieces. Such machines are usually expensive and so much oil remains after treatment in such machines that it is frequently necessary to burn the oil from said chips before they are suitable for use in an electric furnace in the manufacture of steel. It is the object of the present invention to devise an apparatus whereby practically all of the oil can be quickly, easily and economically removed from such chips, the chips requiring no further treatment to lit them for use in the manufacture of steel in electric furnaces.

The invention consists principally in subjee-ting the metal chips to sprays of heated water or steam or both. The invention further consists in passing the chips, as by means of a conveyor, beneath a multiplicity of spraying devices that spray the heated water or steam onto the chips. The invention furi "ther consists inthe apparatus and in the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and wherein like reference characters indicate like views Wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred 'form of apparatus for practicing our invenf tion;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; 55

Fig. 3 is a sectional view thereof on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and l Fig. 4 is a detail view of an oil drain and the float therefor.

A suitable apparatus for practicing the invention is shown in the drawings and comprises a continuous belt or apron conveyor 1 adapted'to receive oily .metal pieces 2 at one end and to deliver oil-free pieces 2a at the other. At one end of the conveyor is a loading platform 3 from which the chips and shavings may be deposited onto the conveyor by hand or by machinery, and at the other or delivery end, the conveyor drops the oil-free chips and shavings into a suitable delivery pit 4. y

Mounted above the conveyor is a suitable housing'-comprising a plurality of hinged sections which may be raised as indicated in dotted lines to permit inspection and repair of the apparatus. In said housing is a multiplicity of pipes 7 adapted to receive hot water or steam or both and provided with downwardly extending openings whereby the water or steam may be sprayed onto the oily pieces 2 on the conveyor. Instead of plain water, some solution adapted to remove the oil may be used. Said conveyor 1 comprises mesh work or other material that is provided with openings whereby the oily liquid may drop from the conveyor into a4 suitable trough 8 mounted between the two passes of the conveyor and supported in any suitable way.

Said trough 8 extends into the endmost compartment 9 of a tank .10 having a plurality of communicating compartments whereby the liquid passes from yone compartment to the next. v-

A preferred form of tank 10 is illustrated in the drawings. [n-this form. the compartment 9 that receives the oily liquid from the trough 8 occupies only part of the width of the tank; and is separated by a partition wall 11 from a sump 12 or pit that receives the oil 18 that is separated from the oily water, 1w

as hereinafter described. The inner end wall 14 of the 1i uid receiving compartment 9 is Aprovided with holes 15 through which the v oily liquid can pass into the second compart- Ipartitions 21, said transverse partitions either eing low enough to permit the oily liquid to pass over thetop, or else having openings therethrough to permit the oily liquid to pass into the next compartment. In the construction illustrated, the middle partition 21 is high and has opening through the lower portion thereof and the partitions 21 on either side are low. As shown by the arrows, the

' liquid passes over the top of the .low partiings-24a are held near the surface of theliqud.

' tions and through the partition.

Extending into, said oil sump 12 is a pipe 22 that extends through the second compartment 16 and then divides into branches 23 that extend through the other compartments 19, one branch on each side of the longitudinal partition 20. Opening into said branch pipes in the endmost compartments 19 are outlet pipes 24 that are secured to ball float members 25 or the like whereby their openopening in the high 'Thus these outlet pipes receive the oilthat has separated from the water and floats on the top thereof. Similar outletpipes 26 and float-members 27 may be provided in other' compartments, as shown vin the drawing. The compartment 9 that receives the oily liquid from the collecting trough 8 is provided with an overfiow pipe 28 that also -communicates with said pipe 22 that drains into the oil sump 12.

. Suitable valves 29 may be provided for shutting o one or the other of the branch pipes 23 and means may be provided-for blocking` the openings into the compartments 19 on one side or other of the tank, thus perthe several compartments.

mittlng cleaning out of the compartments on one side. For this purpose, manholes and4 covers `30 are provided and ladder rungs 31 are secured to the longitudinal partition in The loadingplatform' 3may belprovided with a reticulat'ed" portion 32 that permits oill to drop into a pit 33 that is connected by means of a pipe 34 with the oil sump 12. A

. pump 35 is connected by means of a pipe 36 with sa'id oil sump-12; so that oil may be pumped from the sump and to Vany suitablepermanent storage receptacle or "purifying or refining mechanism.

Extending through the several compartments (except the receiving compartment 9) are steam pipes 37 that heat the' water in the several compartments. The endmost vcompartments are provided with inlet members 38 that connect with a pipe 39 that leads to a ump 40. Said pump 40 pumps the water rom said endmost compartments and forces it through a delivery pipe 41 that connects with a pipe 42 extending along the housing. The spray pi s 7 open from said pipe 42. If desired, ad itional hot rwater or steam may be added to the water that is pumped into the delivery pipe 41 and spray pipes 7 so as to secure the desired temperature for the water that is sprayed onto 'the metal.

The process will be easily understood from the description of the foregoing apparatus. Oily chips 2, scraps or turnings from metal working machines are placed on the loading platform' 3 and are delivered to the conveyor 1, either automatically or manually, as may be desired. The movement` of the conveyor 1 carries thel metal chips beneath the spray during the passage of the oily liquid through p the several compartments of the tank. The

oil is removed to an oil storage tank and the' water heated and pumped out of the tank to be used again in spraying chips.

The'above described apparatus has numerous advantages. The chips are subjected to the direct action of the steam or hot water or.

both, the steam or water being forcibl sprayed over the chipsvand carrying away a most all of the oil adhering to the chips and trapped in the mass of chips. The chips delivered into the chip delivery pit are almost entirely free of oil. Thus the invention rev sults in the reclaiming of almost all ofthe oil, which oil may be used overand over again, and metal chips treated according to' the invention are. so nearly free from oil `as to be suitable for use in an electric furnace 1n the manufacture of steel.

Obviously, numerous changes may be made without departing from the invention and we donot wish to be limited to the precise construction shown.

What we claim is: A

1. Apparatus for removing oil from oily metal chips and the like comprising a housing, a multiplicity of spray devices therein, a

conveyor 'for carrying chips beneath said spray devices, a trough beneath said conveyor for collecting oily'liquid dropping from s aid chips, and a separator tank at the discharge end of said-trough; adapted and arranged to receive said oily liquid from said trough. 2. Apparatus for` removing oil from oily metal chips and the like comprising a housing, a multiplicity of spray devices therein, I

'taining said inlet portions near thesurface images a conveyor or carrying chips beneath said spray devices, a trough .beneath said conveyor for collecting oily liquid dropping from said chips, a separator tank at the discharge end of said trough adapted and arranged to receive said oily liquid from said trough, an oil sump, pipes through which oil flows from said separator tank into said oil sump, an oil pump for pumping oil from said sump, and a pump for pumping the oil free liquid from said separator tank.

3. Apparatus for removing oil from oily metal chips and# the like comprising a multiplicity of spray devices adapted and arranged to spray heated water onto said metal chips, a conveyor `for carrying chips beneath said spraying-devices,'a trough beneath'said conveyor for collecting oily liquid dropping from said chips, a tank wherein said oily liquid may be separated into 'oil and liquid, said trough emptying into said tank, means for draining ofi' said oil and means for reheating said liquid and feeding it to said spraying devices.

4. Apparatus for removing oil`from oily metal chips and the like, comprising a multiplicity of spray devices for emitting sprays of hot water, an endless conveyor of open work material for carrying chips beneath said spray devices, a trough disposed below said chips on said conveyor' and between the two passes of said conveyor, a separator tank disposed at the dischargeA end of said trough to receive oily water therefrom, and oil collect.

ing pipes disposed in said tank and having oil inlet portions, said oil inlet portions being provided with ball float members for mainof the oil in the separator tank.

5. Apparatus for removing Soil rom oily metal chips and the like, comprising a multiplicity of spray devices for emitting sprays of hot Water,`a conveyor beneath said lspray devices adapted and arranged to carry metal chips, a trough beneath said conveyor for collecting oily water dropping from said metal chips, and a separator tank at the discharge end of said trough, said separator tank being divided ments. c.

6. A paratus for removing oil from oily metal c ips and the like, comprising a multiplicity of spray devices for emitting sprays of hot water, a conveyor beneath said spray devices adapted and arranged to carry metal chips, a trough beneath said conveyor for collecting oily waterdropping from said metal chips, a separator .tank at the discharge end of said trough, said vseparator tank being ldivided into communicating compartments,

the oily Water receiving compartment into which said trough opens being separated from the adjacent compartment by a high wall having an opening in the upper portion, succeeding compartments being separated Yfrom each other by alternating high and low August, 1925.

into communicating compartpartitions, the high partitions having openings in their lower portions, and oil receiving pipes' in some of said compartments, said pipes being provided with oat members.

7. Apparatus l-for removing oil from oily metal chips and the like, comprising a multiplicity of spray devices for emitting sprays of hotwater, a conveyor beneath said spray devices adapted and arranged to carry metal.

chips, a trough beneath said conveyor for col-l partitions, the high partitions having openings in their lower portions, oil receiving pipes in some of said compartments, said` pipes being. provided with iloat members, steam pipes in some of said compartments and a pipe leading heated Water from said steam heated compartments to said Aspray devices.

Signed at Canton, Ohio, this 3rd' day of oscAR L. M AAG." `CLIFFORD M. MARATTA. 

